NORTH BIRKENHEAD GOES GREEN!

Residents in North Birkenhead are set to enjoy spring in their very own open space.

Following on from the high level of refurbishment work in the Housing Market Renewal area of Triangles in Birkenhead, Ilchester Park has now been recognised as a public open space for the people of the area.

50 vibrant street trees which were planted last November are already taking root. They are part of The Mersey Forest's Green Streets' Programme for Merseyside funded by the European Regional Development Fund Objective 1 Programme, The Forestry Commission through the Northwest Regional Development Agency and United Utilities.

The trees will enhance recent improvements to the house frontages in Norman Street and Mallaby Street as part of the Housing Market Renewal Programme.

Housing Market Renewal will continue to invest in the environmental improvements by funding the future maintenance of the trees.

To mark the park being handed back to the community, and to celebrate the new tree plantings children at the local primary school, Portland Primary, are planting a tree in their school grounds.

Ben Greenaway from The Mersey Forest said: "This project has been incredibly successful as it brings nature back to an urban level. It's great to see the trees starting to grow and I hope that the residents will enjoy the greenery around them which they may not have seen much of in their street before"

Harry Smith Wirral Councillor for Bidston and St James said: "Giving the residents of North Birkenhead a park of their own offers them, another lifestyle option and opens the door to other opportunities. We are delighted to be handing the park back to the people of the area and we hope that they enjoy it as the spring arrives."

Councillor George Davies the Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety at Wirral Council said: "Housing Market Renewal is not just about building homes for people, it's about people's surroundings as well. We hope that by investing in the green space of an area it will go some way to contribute to the other work going on in North Birkenhead."

Notes to Editors: NewHeartlands is one of nine HMR pathfinders in the country tasked with regenerating the whole Merseyside area by tackling low-demand and poor-quality housing markets, usually in some of the UK's most deprived areas. We work closely with Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral Councils and other partners including the Home and Communities Agency, private developers, Responsible Social Landlords and residents.

The programme started in 2003 and is expected to run for 10-15 years. The homebuilding plans are only one aspect of the programme which also includes job creation, social regeneration and community building, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and boosting prosperity.

The Green Streets tree project is delivered by The Mersey Forest and funded by the ERDF Objective 1 Programme, the Northwest RDA through the Newlands Programme, and United Utilities. The site was managed by The Environmental Partnership.